tour j edgar hoover building

Can I Tour FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC?

Yes, you can tour the fbi education center, but visits require up to a month of advanced notice..

Seeing the J. Edgar Hoover Building, or FBI HQ (as some in the know might call it), is a pretty great way to experience the increasingly important work the FBI does to protect this city – and this country.

You must arrange your visit through your Congressional office. Visit this website to find out the name and contact information for your Congressional representative. The FBI requires up to a month for advance notice from Congressional offices prior to your visit; this is because the FBI will perform a security check on all visitors. The visit itself will take about two hours.

The FBI Headquarters  is located between 9th and 10th Streets NW. The closest Metro subway stops are Federal Triangle on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines, Gallery Place/Chinatown and Metro Center on the Red Line, and Archives/Navy Memorial on the Yellow and Green lines.

Matt C via Flickr

More on the FBI Building and Tour

The tour of the FBI is actually one of the oldest ones around. It started in 1937, when headquarters was in the Department of Justice building. In 1975, the FBI moved to its current location, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, on Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

After Sept. 11, the tour closed for security reasons. Never fear, sleuths of all ages. It’s now back open and, we’d say, better than ever. The tour was modernized and updated in 2008, as the FBI created a full-fledged Education Center to assist in teaching the public the importance and central role of the FBI in law enforcement and national security.

But what does the FBI actually do?

Surely, you’ll learn just a bit more about that on the tour, but we can clue you in on a couple things. The FBI’s mission is to protect the United States from internal and external threats, whether clear and imminently dangerous, or more metaphysical and long-term, all with the goal of improving the security of our nation. The FBI has grown and changed since its inception, now incorporating both intelligence and law enforcement in its mandate. That means it works to uphold local and national laws, but also investigate those hard-to-define threats. And, OK, since you probably aren’t a special agent, we can tell you some of the things these important people, stationed all over the world, look into: domestic and international terrorism, counterintelligence, cyberwarfare, corruption, civil rights, organized crime (the “mob”), white-collar crime and more.

There are so many great tours and sightseeing opportunities in Washington, DC. Discover your next tour adventure .

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Reserve Your Spot with Confidence! Full Refunds with 24 Hrs Notice. Reschedule at any point, even after tour, if space allows!

Tour the FBI Building in Washington DC

This post is about how to visit and take a tour of the FBI Experience at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC.

We include tips on how to plan your visit, and what you will see. 

• How to Book a Tour
• Getting Here
• FBI Experience Museum
• About the Building
• Things to Do in DC

Can I Tour the FBI Building Headquarters?

The FBI building is technically closed to the public. However, with advance planning and help from your Congressperson, you can still tour the FBI Education Center.

Originally created as a way to introduce new employees and other government officials to the workings of the FBI, in 2014, it was opened to the public.

Like arranging a visit to the White House , you must go through your Congressperson. The tours can be scheduled for business days 9 am - 3 pm. The building is closed on federal holidays.

(You can find out who you Member of Congress is here ). 

This must be done no less than four weeks in advance. All applicants for a tour of the FBI Education Center will be vetted and subject to a background check. You will need to provide your:

• date of birth
• social security number

For groups of 20 or more, you can submit a request directly here. Don't try to request a tour with this link if you have less than 20 people, as it will be ignored.

FBI Tours are open to US citizens and green card holders only.

If you are cleared to enter the FBI Building, you will be notified two weeks prior to your confirmed date.

If you are granted a tour, plan on 2 hours for the tour itself and arriving 15 minutes early. The tours operate on weekdays during normal business hours.

SECURITY AT THE FBI HEADQUARTERS

There is no storage at the FBI Headquarters. If you're looking for bag storage before your tour, check out our post on luggage storage in DC .

The following items are  strictly prohibited  and may  not  be brought into FBI Headquarters: 

• Backpacks, diaper bags, fanny packs, briefcases, luggage, computer and camera bags, or bags and purses larger than a clutch
• Point-and-shoot cameras, SLR cameras, or video recorders; cell phone cameras are permitted but must be on airplane mode during the visit.
• Food, beverages, tobacco products, personal grooming items (e.g. makeup, lotion, etc.)
• Any pointed objects
• Aerosol containers
• Guns, ammunition, fireworks, electric stun guns, mace, martial arts weapons/devices, or any knives.

Can you take photos on the FBI Tour?

Yes! You may take photos inside the FBI Experience exhibit only. You will not be able to take photographs at all in the screening process

HOW TO GET HERE

Conveniently located downtown Washington, DC ( map ), it is very easy to get to the FBI Building.

Metro: The FBI Building is about a five-minute walk from four different Metro stations. Read our guide on how to use the DC Metro (subway).

• Federal Triangle: Blue/Orange/Silver
• Archives/Navy Memorial: Yellow/Green
• Chinatown: Red/Yellow/Green
• Metro Center: Blue/Orange/Silver

It is also on Pennsylvania Ave NW, and a direct walk from the White House or the US Capitol Building , an easy walk from the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall, and you can see it from Ford's Theatre .

Parking: You will find street parking in the area surrounding the FBI Building, just not directly in front of the building. If you need a parking garage, the closest is on 10th St NW between E and F Streets NW, just next to Ford's Theatre.  

We recommend booking convenient and affordable parking in advance through SpotHero, the nation’s leading parking reservation app.

To reserve your parking spot, visit the SpotHero Parking Page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

New to SpotHero? Click here to download the SpotHero app.

The FBI Experience Museum

Once through security, an escort takes you to another secure area, across the courtyard (they have workout equipment, an outdoor running track, tables, etc.) and into the FBI Experience Museum.

Your escort gives you an intro but then the museum is self-guided.

Visitor services reps are stationed throughout to answer questions - all are FBI or former FBI agents or employees and are very knowledgeable.

Some of the highlights of the tour are:

In the exhibit on surveillance, find the hidden camera in the painting - it’s the period in the signature!

You can check out the desk of infamous FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who the headquarters building is named for.

There are also some artifacts on display that take your breath away, like this case with ephemera collected from the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Headquarters

The FBI moved into this building in 1975 from the Department of Justice building across the street.

It was immediately criticized and remains unloved by most to this day. In fact, the FBI will be moving soon - the building has reached the end of its lifespan.

It is not yet public knowledge where the FBI Headquarters will relocate or what will happen to this building or plot of land.

The FBI wanted a building that was bomb-proof for the first few levels and had secured access points throughout.

The design firm of Murphy & Associates were hired to design the structure.

The building includes theaters, classrooms, auditoriums and three levels below ground, as well as:

• An automobile repair shop
• A two-story basketball court
• Cryptographic vault
• Developing laboratories for both still photography and motion pictures
• Exercise rooms
• A film library
• A firing range
• 80,000 square feet (7,400 m 2 ) of laboratory space
• A medical clinic
• A printing plant
• A test pattern and ballistics range

Despite its immense size, not all of the FBI's holdings are kept inside the Hoover Building in downtown Washington DC.

The FBI Laboratory is located in Quantico, Virginia at Marine Base Quantico. It is one of the largest crime labs in the world.

FBI Building Flags

As you walk along the Pennsylvania Ave side of the building, you'll notice many American flags along the FBI Building.

Look closely, they are each different. Starting at 10th St NW, you'll notice 10 different flags flanked by our current 50-star flag.

• The Flag of 1777 , which had no official arrangement for the 13 stars. It was flown by John Paul Jones on the USS Ranger and was the first American flag to be recognized by a foreign power.
• The Betsy Ross Flag , 13 stars, designed by George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Francis Hopkinson. Although rarely used, it was adopted by Congress on June 14, 1777--the official date of today's Flag Day.
• The Bennington Flag , 13 six-pointed stars, allegedly flown August 16, 1777, over military stores at the Battle of Bennington, Vermont, when the Vermont militia beat back a superior British force.
• The Star Spangled Banner , 15 stars and 15 stripes, immortalized by Francis Scott Key in our National Anthem during the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, Maryland, in September 13, 1814.
• The Flag of 1818 , 20 stars, commissioned by a Congressional Flag Act that returned the design to 13 stripes and stipulated that stars be added for each new state.
• The Great Star Flag , 20 stars, designed by Captain Samuel Chester Reid, U.S. Navy, at the request of New York Congressman Peter Wendover and flown over the U.S. Capitol on April 13, 1818.
• The Lincoln Flag , 34 stars, raised by President Lincoln on February 22, 1861, over Philadelphia's Independence Hall to send a message to Southern states, which were preparing to secede from the Union.
• The Iwo Jima Flag , 48 stars, which was commissioned in 1912 but came to symbolize our Nation on February 19, 1945, when U.S. Marines raised it on Mount Suribachi after fearful fighting in World War II's Pacific campaign.
• The 49-Star Flag , commissioned in 1959 when Alaska achieved full Statehood. It flew for only one year, until July 4, 1960, after Hawaii achieved its Statehood and when today's 50-star flag became official.

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Inside Look: Touring the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC

I’ve always been fascinated by the inner workings of the FBI. So when I learned that they offer public tours of the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington DC, their headquarters, I knew I had to find a way to visit.

Planning a trip to DC can be a bit of a juggling act. You gotta align your visit with when things will actually be open. So, when I was putting in my White House Ticket request three months in advance and saw that you could tour the FBI too, I jumped.

The tour was on the top of my son’s wish list. When we told him about it, I didn’t want to get his hopes up.

The thing is, you can do everything right, pass a background check, but still not get in. The wait was agonizing, but it ended up being the highlight of the entire trip!

How to get tickets to tour the FBI in Washington DC?

Obtaining tickets for the FBI tour requires careful preparation and perseverance. Unlike most tourist attractions, you can’t simply book online. Instead, you need to request tickets through your state representative’s office.

I contacted my congressman’s office 3 months before my visit. They submitted the request to the FBI, and about 3 weeks later, they called to verify my identity and background information.

After completing a basic background check, it became a waiting day. That’s because they don’t confirm your visit until 1 week beforehand.

My hunch is that they need to keep things flexible in case high profile events are going on. And in the fall of 2023, there are a few.

Arriving at the FBI

When the big day arrived, I made sure to arrive 30 minutes early at the Pennsylvania Ave address. We actually went there 45 minutes early and took a quick side trip to Ford Theatre just a few blocks away.

When it comes to the FBI, they are a very secure locked down building. We showed up to find a few others waiting outside the building and a few others walking out.

They had just been turned away for walking 31 minutes early.

We decided to give it a try right on time and had a little pushback before they realized it was the right time.

We showed them our Drivers Licenses, and they gave us our lanyards and visitors passes. There are no official tickets, just a reservation.

One rule in the FBI is no cameras in the main part of the building. You also have to have your phones in Airplane mode.

I went through a security screening and proceeded down to the waiting area. The tour actually starts in the gift shop where I picked up a few souvenirs. My group and I were then escorted to the engaging FBI Experience. This is where the real fun began!

The FBI Experience covers two floors. The tour starts on the second floor. You’ll be outside in their atrium and climb a flight of stairs. You’ll exit the tour at the back of the building.

Touring the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC

The FBI Experience has a series of exhibits and activities that provides an insider’s view of FBI operations. Now that we were in the experience, we were allowed to take photos and document our visit. Some of the highlights included:

• Shooting range – No photos here, and it was being remolded. But you can see agents in action!
• Bank robbery investigative experience – I had to study the evidence and catch the suspect.
• Computer forensics lab – I analyzed data just like computer forensic teams.
• Hidden camera room – I searched for tiny hidden cameras with my phone flashlight. Found both. There is a video monitor on the other side of the room to help guide you. If you want a hint, make sure to ask an agent.
• Spy equipment from different operations.
• Historical artifacts – I saw the Unabomber’s journal, items from 9/11, John Dillinger’s Tommy gun, and more.
• FBI’s Most Wanted Wall – The infamous top 10 list with photos/descriptions of fugitives.

Throughout the experience, there were FBI agents on hand that provided additional details and answered all of your questions. It was great getting an insider’s view.

The agents were super friendly. I think part of it was in my head, but the agents around the outside of the building were a little more intimidating.

The tour took about 1 hour and 30 minutes total. You don’t have to stay with your group and can take as much time as you need.

Each admission group had around 30 people. If you don’t get a tour, that’s probably why. Unless you were flagged in your background check.

At the end, we all took a fun quiz to find out what FBI job we would be best suited for. I got forensic scientist! The kids are both suited to be Special Agents.

We got to leave with a sevener, our security badges.

Frequently Asked Questions about FBI Headquarters Tours

How do i get tickets to tour the fbi.

You need to request them through your state representative or congressperson’s office. The FBI does not handle public ticket bookings.

How far in advance should I request tickets to Tour the FBI?

You can request tours up to 5 months in advance and no later than 4 weeks before. Tickets are limited and the background check process takes time. The earlier the better!

What are the hours and days that tours take place?

Tours run Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays.

What is the cost?

The tours are free.

What should I bring To the FBI Tour?

Bring yourself, your photo ID, wallet, and your phone. That’s it!

The list of prohibited items includes bags larger than 8 ½” x 11”, cameras (point and shoot, SLR, video records), strollers, food, drinks, tobacco, aerosols, and weapons.

Bring a printed ticket, photo ID, and leave any other personal items (including cell phones and cameras) secured off site.

Would I recommend the FBI Experience Tour in Washington DC?

I highly recommend taking the FBI tour if you ever get the chance. It provides a one-of-a-kind look at the storied history and fascinating operations within the bureau.

Just be prepared for the detailed planning required to secure tickets. The early effort pays off for this rare experience!

If you really love the spy parts of the tour, check out the Spy Museum!

Minnesota native and Midwest travel expert Jennifer provides insider tips and budget-friendly trip ideas for families looking to explore the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Through her travel blog DayTripper28, she draws on first-hand experience to recommend the best hidden gems, outdoor adventures, road trips, and weekend getaways around Minnesota and the Midwest. With her passion for uncovering local flavors and culture along the backroads, Jennifer shares affordable itineraries for creating memorable experiences across the region.

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FBI Headquarters

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FBI Building Tour

I’m reminded of just how prominent the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is in American popular culture each time I pass the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building on Pennsylvania Avenue.  On our private tours, people tend to respond with an audible “Ah” and a nod the moment the see the building, remembering the many books, movies, and TV shows that feature the FBI. 

My personal favorite is Agent Clarice Starling in  The Silence of the Lambs . The next question often is, “Can we take a tour?” FBI building tours were suspended indefinitely in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, but that’s not the end of the story. While the Bureau cited security concerns and costs as the primary reasons for discontinuing the public tour, in 2008 they opened an education center inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building as a source of training for new employees and to instruct its law enforcement partners (state, local, international, etc.). About a year ago on August 25, 2014 the FBI began a pilot program that opened the FBI Education Center to the public.  Now anyone can request a visit to the FBI building in advance.

Here are the requirements: the FBI requires potential visitors to request a tour through on of their members of congress about 3 to 4 weeks in advance.  Advance notice is required so that the Bureau can conduct a security background check for each visitor in advance.  Times are also limited to visits Monday through Thursday during normal business ours. So the good news is everyone can visit the FBI Building if plans are made in advance. And if you pass the background check!  For the most part, people have remained unaware that a visit is possible. Custom Tours of DC is happy to help you plan a private customized tour that includes a visit to the FBI Building.  Please contact us!

Custom Tours of DC – A Private Tour Agency

Custom Tours of DC arranges private tours and plans custom itineraries for individuals and groups.

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Send us details for your tour. Be sure to include dates, times, number of participants and your tour interests. We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

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Inspector general investigating the decision to relocate FBI headquarters to Maryland

The Associated Press

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, home of the FBI's headquarters, is seen on June 9, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The General Services Administration's inspector general is investigating the decision to build a new HQ in Maryland. Alex Brandon/AP file photo hide caption

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, home of the FBI's headquarters, is seen on June 9, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The General Services Administration's inspector general is investigating the decision to build a new HQ in Maryland.

WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog is investigating how the Biden administration chose a site for a new FBI headquarters following a contentious competition marked by allegations of conflict of interest from the bureau's director.

The inspector general for the General Services Administration is probing the decision to replace the FBI's crumbling headquarters in Washington, D.C., with a facility in Greenbelt, Md., rather than a site in Virginia, according to a letter released Thursday by Virginia lawmakers.

The GSA, for its part, said it chose the site due to lower costs and easy access to transit. It stands behind the process.

Consideration for a new headquarters has been discussed for more than a decade, and the nearby states of Virginia and Maryland competed fiercely for the project. The announcement earlier this month choosing Maryland brought sharp criticism from Virginia. The state's senators and representatives said in a joint statement Thursday there was "overwhelming evidence" suggesting the process was influenced by politics. They called on the GSA to pause anything related to the relocation until the review is complete.

"We applaud the inspector general for moving quickly and encourage him to move forward to complete a careful and thorough review," Virginia's delegation said in a joint statement.

Maryland lawmakers, on the other hand, said their state was chosen simply because it has the best site and the project would be moving forward.

"Any objective evaluation will find that the GSA arrived at this decision after a thorough and transparent process," its leaders said in their own joint statement.

The evaluation of the agency's process and procedures for selecting the site will begin immediately, the acting inspector general said in his letter to Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia.

The GSA, which manages the government's real estate portfolio, said it welcomes the review and pointed out that it had already released decision-making materials and a legal review of concerns raised by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

"We carefully followed the requirements and process and stand behind GSA's final site selection decision," an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

The review comes after Wray told staff in an internal message earlier this month that he was concerned about a "potential conflict of interest" in a GSA executive choosing a site owned by a previous employer, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Wray said his objections were about the process rather than the site itself.

GSA denied any conflict, saying the site about 13 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of Washington was less expensive, had better access to transit and could be completed quickly.

• General Services Administration

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Understanding J. Edgar Hoover's America

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J. Edgar Hoover , former FBI director.

History has cast him as powerful, paranoid, a man not afraid to use the power of the FBI to intimidate and investigate his critics. But that's how he's seen now.

What about then?

"He was more popular than most of us remember in these days," historian Beverly Gage says. "That's really important because it means that his story, the things that he did, the things that he stood for, were also popular."

So popular that he held his job for 48 years and eight presidencies.

"He really had his fingers in almost everything that happened in American politics from the 1920s up through the 1970s," Gage adds.

"How his power worked is really critical to understanding how politics and social movements and culture worked itself over the course of that period."

Today, On Point : Understanding J. Edgar Hoover's America.

Beverly Gage , professor of 20th-century U.S. history at Yale University. Author of G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century . ( @beverlygage )

Interview Highlights

On Hoover's childhood in D.C. and its influences on his life

Beverly Gage: "He is an almost pure creature of Washington. He's born there. He dies there. He never lives anywhere else. And he's, I think, a creature of the city in lots of other ways, as well. First of all, even in the late 19th century, he's born into a family with a tradition of federal government service, which was pretty unusual at the time, because the federal government wasn't very big. It didn't do very many things.

"For instance, there was no Bureau of Investigation at that point. But he comes of age in this tradition of government, professional career service that's just kind of taking off as he's growing up. And then the other thing that I think is really important about Washington is that in that moment, it is truly a southern city. And during the years that Hoover was growing up there, it's a city that was actively segregating and coming up with new laws, enforcing racial segregation in new ways. So he went to segregated schools. His employment was always segregated, and I think that had a really dramatic effect on his own racial outlook."

On racism and Hoover's time at George Washington University 

Beverly Gage:  "I think it's pretty widely known that Hoover had racist views, that he was racist. But one of the things that I wanted to try to figure out in this biography was where did those ideas come from? Washington is one part of the story. But then I began to look into his college fraternity, which was this organization called Kappa Alpha. He was very devoted to Kappa Alpha, became its chapter president, was active as an alum for many, many years, drew many of the first generation of FBI officials out of Kappa Alpha.

"And it turns out that Kappa Alpha was an explicitly Southern segregationist fraternity that had been created in 1865 to kind of carry on the lost cause of the white South in the aftermath of the Civil War. And by the time Hoover joined it, its kind of national standard bearers, its most famous alums were people like Thomas Dixon, who was a famous novelist in that moment, who wrote the books upon which Birth of the Nation, the sort of famously racist film of 1915, celebrating the Ku Klux Klan, was based. And so, you can just see Hoover's mind being shaped by this broader environment, but by this very specific institution, which he was very devoted to and really loved his whole life."

On the genesis of this book

Beverly Gage:  "I'm very self-punishing. So that was really the idea. No. So I didn't think it would take quite as long as it did, but I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a really big project and that was part of the appeal. Some of it was that Hoover was this amazing vehicle to tell a big story about the 20th century and about parts of our history that we maybe don't think about as much.

"Whether that is some of what we were just talking about or simply the growth of the federal government itself, the national security state. And Hoover really embodies all of that. And then the second piece was that there were lots and lots of new records that had come out since the last generation of biography. And so I am a history nerd, and I wanted to get my hands on those records. But as it turns out, there are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pages of such records. And so yeah, so it took a while to do."

On religion in Hoover's life

Beverly Gage:  "It was a really core element, not only of his childhood and his personal makeup, but of the way that he presented himself to the country. And politically, the sort of puzzle that I'm trying to work out in the book is that on the one hand, Hoover is a standard bearer for a kind of professional expert. Investigative, just the facts, nonpartisan government service that we would tend to think about as maybe a progressive or a liberal tradition.

"And then on the other hand, he's a really powerful and very outspoken social conservative on lots of issues, race and communism, but on religion as well. And it's kind of strange to think about the FBI director giving these kinds of stern moral lectures, which he loved to give ... to the nation at large, kind of admonishing people to go to Sunday school to return to their moral core. And some of that had to do with the struggle against atheistic communism. Others was his kind of individualistic moral approach to crime and law and order. But I think it's really core to understanding him as a cultural figure and for understanding how he built the FBI."

On Hoover's reputation at the FBI when he became director again at the age of 29

Beverly Gage:  "It was not good. He actually came out of two different scandals that had happened when he was there and he was involved in both, but managed to survive. One was public backlash against the Palmer raids, which were a series of deportation raids aimed at anarchists and communists and other radicals. He had helped to engineer those as a 24- and 25-year-old. But there was a lot of criticism of those on civil liberties grounds. He survived that scandal only to enter the Warren Harding years as the assistant director of the bureau.

"And the Harding years had a whole series of pretty basic corruption scandals, you know, poker games, whiskey dealing, bribery, the whole range of things. And Hoover was there as an assistant director, but he managed to survive that, too. So the funny thing is that then when he became director, he really came in as a reformer, as someone who was supposed to clean up the bureau, make the bureaucracy work well, get rid of the corruption, get rid of all of the kind of invasive political investigations. And that actually is how he made his name in his early years as director, doing quite a lot of what he set out to do."

On Hoover's sexuality 

Beverly Gage:  "It's worth saying that we actually don't know whether Hoover and Tolson were lovers. We know that they were a very firmly embedded social couple, that they cared about each other deeply. But we don't know what they were doing sexually, to the degree that that matters. And of course, they themselves not only denied, but aggressively policed any suggestion that they were a gay couple.

"So if you happened to be at a dance or a cocktail party or hanging around Washington and you made a joke about a rumor that you had heard that the director's sexuality was in question, you might actually get an FBI agent showing up at your door, knocking on the door, saying, Hello, ma'am, we've heard that you had this to say about the director, and you should never say such a scurrilous, terrible thing about, you know, our wonderful director.

"So part of it was that he just policed this in very aggressive ways and in ways that very few people would have the power to do. And then I think he was just not an introspective person. He was very self-protective. He was very aggressive about looking after his own self-interest. And he wasn't inclined to think ponder his own contradictions himself."

What allowed Hoover to use and abuse the power he had as director of the FBI?

Beverly Gage:  "There are a couple of key things that help us make sense of that. I think our image is that, you know, Hoover was crafty and doing everything in secret in a backroom. And there is some truth to that. I mean, so the FBI's ability, without any mechanisms of accountability to sort of start its own secret programs was pretty profound during Hoover's years. And the reforms of the 1970s after his death were mainly geared in that direction to try to bring some scrutiny and some transparency to what the FBI was actually up to. But I think there are a couple of other things that are really important, as well.

"One is that he actually had pretty widespread support, often from the White House, sometimes from the public at large, to engage in these kinds of campaigns. He was incredibly popular and widely supported in Washington at the peak of the Red Scare in 1953, 1954. This era that we tend to describe to ourselves as being a kind of peak era of civil liberties abuses. Hoover had popularity ratings that went into the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as he is being very explicit, not about every detail of FBI investigations, but about the broad sweep of the anti-communist campaign. And in fact, he is seen as the kind of responsible alternative to someone like Joseph McCarthy."

On Hoover's legacy

Beverly Gage:  "I ended up being most surprised about the moments that I could agree with what he was doing. And he does have, despite this track record, a few redemptive moments. He opposed Japanese internment in the Second World War. He took a big campaign against the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. And so, I think even J. Edgar Hoover has a complicated story for us all."

Book Excerpt

G-man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, by Beverly Gage. Excerpt used with permission of the publisher, Viking. Not to be reprinted without permission. All rights reserved.

This program aired on December 9, 2022.

• The Secret Burglary That Exposed J. Edgar Hoover's FBI
• Biography traces public support for J. Edgar Hoover in most of his 48 years in power
• The Massive Case Of Collective Amnesia: The FBI Has Been Political From The Start

Paige Sutherland Producer, On Point Paige Sutherland is a producer for On Point.

Meghna Chakrabarti Host, On Point Meghna Chakrabarti is the host of On Point.

More from On Point

The spiraling 246m high Evolution Tower is located on plots 2-3 of Moscow-City high-rise business district on Presnenskaya Embankment of Moscow river. New multi-function center occupies the territory of 2.5ha in area, 2ha of which is a landscaped terraced civic plaza, the integral part of the new city piazza, the central open public space of Moscow-City business downtown.

ivic plaza includes 10m high ceremonial stairs (leading from embankment and pedestrian Bagration Bridge to the higher terraced levels) as well as landscaped areas with green lawns, trees, water features, travellators and feature lightboxes.

Evolution Tower

Location: Moscow, Russia

Typology: High-Rise, Office, Mixed-Use

Years: Construction 2011-2014

Status: Built

Height: 246m

Design team: GORPROJECT  (2011-2015), 

RMJM Scotland Ltd 

(original concept 2005-2007)

Under the piazza levels the 2-storey retail mall connects the Evolution Tower with metro station and pedestrian bridge over Moscow river, thus integrating the new development into the large Moscow-City district, the Europe's newest and most ambitious high-rise cluster (7 of 10 highest European skyscrapers ae located here), housing over 4 million square meters of office and retail areas with associated transport and engineering infrastructure.   

The Evolution Gallery mall houses food court and 6,000m2 family entertainment and educational center for various children activities (the first center of that kind in Moscow). 

The 82,000m2 office tower has 52 levels rotated 3 degrees each floor with overall twist reaching 156 degrees clockwise. With world’s largest innovative cold-bent glazing the tower façade provides seamless floating reflection that rotates the panoramas of Moscow skyline vertically, where the reflected clouds moving up enhance the dynamic visual impact of the twisted tower, an unprecedented optical effect in the world architecture.  The Crown with supporting steel structure made of two twisted arches provides the helipad at the very top as well as the open observation roof decks at Levels 51-52 featuring the best panoramas of Moscow riverside with views towards the historical center. 

From the very beginning the developer and architects have set an ambitious task to create a recognizable and symbolic tower, the new icon of contemporary Moscow.  The sculptural DNA-shaped twisting tower symbolizes the evolution spiral with the white façade ribbon wrapping over the roof in a form of 90-degree twisted infinity symbol, which speaks of philosophical concept of evolution and celebrates the development of human civilization. From spiraling onion domes of St. Basil to the iconic Tatlin Tower concept the Russian architecture was obsessed with idea of spiral. The simple and innovative design was based on principles of twisting square-shaped floor plates with vertical structural RC frame supported by a central core and 8 columns with continuous beams and 4 spiraling columns at the corners. 

The proposed structural scheme with cantilevered continuous RC beams and cantilevered floor slabs  picking up the overhangs from the twisted floor plates appeared to be simple, efficient and economical. The complex sculptural tower façade envelope was built using the innovative cold-bent glazing with flat double glazed units cold-formed in 3D within the aluminum frame under its own weight to avoid stepping in geometry. This approach appeared to be both more energy-efficient and more cost-efficient solution in comparison to the stepped curtain wall units previously applied in some twisted unitized facades. 

The multifunctional architectural glass by Guardian significantly reduces the solar gain whilst providing the double glazed unit thermal performance equal to standard triple glazed unit normally used in Moscow to withstand harsh winter conditions. The use of innovative TWIN elevators by ThyssenKrupp saved 2 shafts within the core (10 TWINs instead of 12 double-deckers in the original concept) and contributed to the overall project sustainability with lesser power consumption per passenger. Other sustainable design features include green roofs over the retail mall and integrated coil floor heating under landscaped civic piazza levels using the return water in winter to melt the snow and ice for the safety of pedestrians. The reinforced concrete formwork by PERI, including self-climbing ACS formwork specially designed for the twisting corner columns, allowed to achieve the impressive speed of RC frame construction of 6 days per floor due to perfect site logistics by Renaissance Construction as main contractor. 

All innovative design solutions and optimizations secured the delivery of this fairly unique skyscraper within the project plan and almost within the budget of the standard ‘benchmark’ high-rise building. This turned out to be a major achievement of the design and construction teams. 

The organic twisting silhouette dominates on its background of extruded glass towers greatly contributing into the overall composition of the high-rise Moscow-City cluster. The development delivered a significant open public space on the landscaped roof of the retail mall, thus providing the perfect mix of business uses with public and social activities of the civic plaza and the mall with its food court and core family entertainment function. The synergy of that mix with large underground car-park complemented by the direct link to the metro station and pedestrian bridge as means of main public transportation secured the successful project completion with the recent entire tower acquisition. Bold shape and timeless aesthetics as added values brought by its unique architecture materialized in a commercial success of this project with the tower being fully acquired for corporate headquarters even in the context of oversupply in the Moscow office market. The outstanding quality of architecture and its fine detailing, state of the art building services and communications of Class A office Tower together with the highest level of transport accessibility  (direct access to metro station from the lobby, large car-parking, proximity to boat pier and helipads) make this property very attractive for tenants and visitors. The beautiful riverside panoramas from offices are complemented by green roof and water features of the large 2ha terraced civic piazza as the main recreational outdoor space with direct link from the office tower lobby. 

The highest quality of façade cladding, glazing, vertical transportation and MEP equipment from leading European and international suppliers provided the truly Class-A office environment with the luxury of minimalist spirit in the architecture of the new landmark on the Moscow skyline. Even before its completion the sculptural spiral of Evolution Tower, more often appearing in commercials, posters and magazines, became a new icon for modern Moscow as the symbol of its business ambitions and fast development. The Evolution Tower also became the monument to the courage of its developer (Snegiri Group) and investors, who built the great deal of trust with architects, engineers and contractors by investing their efforts and funds in a challenging adventure of designing and building the unique and innovative skyscraper for the capital of Russia. 

Evolution Reflections

Philipp nikandrov.

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About the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building

Founded in 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was originally housed within the Department of Justice headquarters building. For its first 67 years the bureau hobbled together space within various Department of Justice buildings, including the Old Post Office. By the mid-twentieth century, the Bureau’s rapidly growing body of agents, specialists and staff were a highly visible national force. Construction of a purpose-built headquarters building finally began in the early 1960s, but was halted due to further necessary planning and design reviews. In 1977, the Brutalist style building, today named in honor of the longest serving FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, was finally complete.

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Moscow downtown historic district.

• Location: Moscow Idaho Regional Essays: Idaho Latah County Architect: Robert H. Barton Leonidas McCartor Michael Shields William J. McConnell James McGuire Milburn Kenworthy Types: mixed-use developments motion picture theaters hotels (public accommodations) apartments retail stores storefronts Styles: Romanesque Revival Richardsonian Romanesque Italianate (North American architecture styles) Spanish Colonial Revival Art Deco Materials: brick (clay material) cast iron sandstone dimension stone cast stone

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Wendy R. McClure, " Moscow Downtown Historic District ", [ Moscow , Idaho ], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ID-01-057-0003 . Last accessed: April 16, 2024.

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According to historians who traveled throughout North Idaho at the turn of the twentieth century to interpret the early histories and future viability of the region’s towns, Moscow was a community where the early “pioneers got it right.” In 1903, visiting historians observed a thriving town in the center of a rich agricultural valley, where commercial development significantly outpaced resident population growth. They noted that, here, in contrast to other pioneer settlements, railroad companies accepted early settlers’ geographic choice for the town center rather than forcing the town to move the commercial districts to accommodate railroad interests. Downtown Moscow has persisted as the symbolic heart of the community and center of public life. Its late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century buildings have adapted to changing needs over time and currently serve entertainment and housing needs of a university city.

Multiple conditions favored early Moscow’s capacity to achieve stability and prosperity as a business center during its formative years. The region’s geography was naturally accommodating of human habitation. For hundreds of years “Tatkinmah,” the “valley of the spotted deer” in which Moscow is located, served as a seasonal meeting grounds for tribal peoples including the Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, and Palouse, who frequented the area to harvest camas roots, trade, and race horses. Early settlers benefitted from ease of access to the region afforded by the Nez Perce Trail, which climbed two thousand feet from the tribe’s winter home in the Snake River Valley. In 1871, the first wave of homesteaders ascended the trail and claimed land in what they called “Paradise Valley,” a landscape of rich soil, bucolic grassy hills, and gently flowing streams. As farm families in pursuit of a permanent home, they brought early stability to the area and a need for a commercial marketplace. Moscow’s formative years also benefitted from the foresight and generosity of four homesteaders and businessmen (Almon Lieuallen, James Deakin, Henry McGregor, and John Russell), who each donated 30 acres of their intersecting claims to establish the initial townsite and commercial center. From the start, they established a climate for community stability by cultivating commercial enterprises along Main Street. Their motivations differed from those of fortunes seekers throughout the west, who temporarily populated, and exploited, early western settlements and then moved on.

Given its central location within a highly productive agricultural landscape, downtown Moscow quickly expanded from its humble beginnings into a booming regional marketplace for outlying communities and farmsteads. In 1885, the railroad arrived downtown, assuring Moscow’s role as a regional shipping point. Equally vital to the commercial district’s economic well-being, was the territorial legislature’s 1888 decision to locate the University of Idaho in Moscow. The combined economic stimuli afforded by agriculture, railroad linkage, and education produced downtown Moscow’s most significant period of commercial development. All downtown buildings constructed between 1888 and 1893 were either retail establishments or banks; over one-third of buildings designated as “contributing” to Moscow’s National Historic Downtown District were built in this period. Their developers, which included William McConnell, Robert H. Barton, and Michael Shields, were among Moscow’s most influential local businessmen. In architectural stature and purpose, these buildings remain unsurpassed by later periods of downtown development.

In 1891, William McConnell and his partner, James McGuire, erected the McConnell-McGuire Building, a three-story department store on the southeast corner of First and Main Streets. The physical heart of downtown during this period, however, developed at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets, where a prominent commercial building was constructed at each corner between 1889 and 1891. All of the structures were built of brick, as required by an 1891 city ordinance regulating fire safety. The 1891 Skattaboe Block, originally constructed on the southwest corner of the intersection in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, was modified at the street level in the 1980s. The Hotel Moscow, a replacement building following a catastrophic fire in 1890, was also designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Across the street on the northeast corner, Leonidas McCartor erected two mixed-use buildings in the Romanesque Revival style in 1891 and 1896, respectively. The 1891 building initially served as Farmer’s Bank before becoming Moscow’s City Hall in 1900, and it served in that capacity until the mid-twentieth century. Use of the Italianate style for downtown buildings was also relatively common as in the Shields Building on the intersection’s southeast corner. Michael Shields developed the Shields Building North as Moscow’s first three-story brick building with an elevator in 1889. The building has since lost some of its original ornamentation and has been modified at the street level.

Mirroring national economic trends, downtown development and construction activity paused during the economic panic of 1893. The national recession led to a slowdown in new construction and the upper floors of several department stores were converted from retail space to offices and apartments between 1893 and 1900. Main Street’s growth resumed in tandem with the country’s economic recovery. Twenty percent of the downtown district’s current inventory of buildings was built between 1900 and World War I. The majority are one- and two-part, block-style commercial buildings. They are smaller in scale and simpler in their detailing than buildings associated with downtown’s peak period. The Kenworthy Theater, a vaudeville and motion picture venue, is a notable exception. Between World War I and World War II, downtown continued to infill with brick and concrete block buildings designed in period-appropriate Art Deco and Spanish Mission styles. Both downtown movie theaters exhibit Art Deco influences and remain popular destinations for cultural entertainment and community events.

Typical of downtowns throughout the country during the post–World War II period, retail businesses and buildings along Moscow’s Main Street suffered from the erosive effects of highway traffic and shopping mall construction. A downtown revitalization initiative in 1980, featuring highway rerouting, streetscape improvements, and construction of a public plaza at the downtown’s core intersection at 4th and Main, helped to re-establish Main Street as a center for public life. The historic integrity of even the most prominent downtown buildings has been compromised, and many bear the marks of storefront modifications intended to forestall retail decline. Collectively, however, they provide a palimpsest of inherited culture and visitors to Moscow’s Main Street need only look up from street level at the brick buildings to connect with late-nineteenth-century community builders who had envisioned downtown Moscow as a bustling regional marketplace.

Attebury, J. Building Idaho: An Architectural History. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1991.

David, H. “Moscow at the Turn of the Century.” Moscow, ID: Local History Paper #6, Latah County Historical Society, 1979.

Hibbard, Don, “McConnell-McGuire Building,” Latah County, Idaho. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 1977. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington DC.

Julin, Suzanne, “Moscow Downtown Historic District,” Latah County, Idaho. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2005. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington DC.

Julin, Suzanne, and D. Krae, “Kenworthy Theater,” Latah County, Idaho. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2001. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington DC.

Monroe, J. Moscow: Living and Learning on the Palouse , Charleston, SC: Making of America Series, Arcadia Publishing, 2003.

Otness, L. A Great Good Country: A Guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho . Moscow, ID: Local History Paper # 8, Latah County Historical Society, 1983.

Western Historical Publishing Company. An Illustrated History of North Idaho: embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, State of Idaho . Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903.

Wright, Patricia, “Hotel Moscow,” Latah County, Idaho. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 1978. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington DC.

Writing Credits

• Location: Moscow, Idaho Regional Overviews: Latah County Architect: Robert H. Barton Types: mixed-use developments motion picture theaters hotels (public accommodations) apartments retail stores storefronts Styles: Romanesque Revival Richardsonian Romanesque Italianate (North American architecture styles) Spanish Colonial Revival Art Deco Materials: brick (clay material) cast iron sandstone dimension stone cast stone

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